Thursday, November 30, 2006

Good Morning! ;) I've gotten a lot of emails lately from some new crafters who are just starting their websites, and they've asked me who/where is the best hosting service to place their website!!! I started with one of the more "popular" website hosts.....I was VERY dissatisfied in the customer service!!! I sent them a couple of emails and they have STILL NOT been answered, and I stopped using almost a year ago....all of the 'extras' supposedly included, with 'award winning' customer service combined, leads me to give that hosting service a negative 1!!!! ;)

Now....for the best service around, go to http://www.hatties-u-design-it.com/. Brenda will help you get your website up and going in no time at all! And if you EVER have a question, she will usually answer you within the hour!!! She works HARD to get it up and going! She worked on my website for 2 days to get it the way I wanted it!!! She even designs graphics, too! So if you need a set of graphics, just ask her! ;) She can also fix that up for you!

Bottom line, she is the best around.....She comes HIGHLY recommended by all of her customers :)

I know that sounded like a sales pitch, or an Internet commercial.....lol..but it's not....Just sharing some of my experience with web hosting that I learned through trial and error ;).....Hattie's wins hands down!!!!!

I am going to have to get off of here and get busy getting something crafted for my ebayers! :) You have a great day!!!!

Monday, November 27, 2006

Do you have a website or ebay site and want to start your own mailing list!??? I just had to let you know about this AWESOME mailing list provider......It allows HTML newsletters...AND, for about 14.00 every 6 months, you can have it AD FREE!!!! I tried bravenet, and lets face it, it has WAY too may ads for the free version, and the paid version is REDICULOUS!!!!! At $99.00 a year!!! If you go to http://www.yourmailinglistprovider.com and sign up for your own newsletter, you won't be sorry you did ;).....It is easy to do, too..even for the beginner!

Now I know a lot of you use photobucket, or something similar to host your pictures....But this website is worth it! VERY reasonable rates.....I pay $14.50 every 2 months, and I can store LOTS of pictures! About 3500 I think......anyway, the best part of it is that the down time for this site is almost NEVER! So you pictures for your website or auction will always be showing up for your customers to see ;)........Just go to http://www.villagephotos.com and check them out......

Ok..enough for tonight, I am beat!!!!! Tired doesn't even describe it! LOLHave a great night!See you on the flip side................;)

Thursday, November 23, 2006

To all of my AWESOME customers who have all become such great friends! :) I am so thankful and VERY blessed to have met some of the SWEETEST ladies around the USA through my primmin'! I just wanted you all to know how VERY much I am thankful for you ALL........You've made this my best year yet! ;)........Each and every one of you are very special to me :)Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I am STUFFED ;)

Spent the whole day with my family! I was so excited because my sister and her family were able to come down from Kentucky and stay all day.....Nephews and neice, too! :) Why do we eat till we are stuffed, then get sleepy???? :) Yeah, my hubby told me something about turkey has something in it that makes you sleepy!! I will tell myself that anyway, so that I don't keep believing it was just because I am lazy! LOL

I've been meaning to blog more lately, but never enough time in the day! I've got to get out all of my Christmas decorations this weekend and HOPEFULLY get the house decorated and the tree up......Maybe I can get my hubby to get the outside lights up, too! ;)......He is not a "Clark Griswald" for sure! LOL......but he will eventually get those lights up!

I'll be back in a bit.......I need to finish watching an episode of CSI.....I LOVE that show!!!!!! ;)

Friday, November 17, 2006

Ok ladies....I know that we have all dreamed of being able to stay at home with the kiddos PLUS be able to bring in a couple of extra dollars to help with the bills.....YOU CAN DO IT IF you really want to! Of course, in the beginning you will have to give up some things! Being able to sacrifice some of the little extras you are used to enjoying is the 1st step!!! Oh come on, you can do it!!!! ;)......Do we REALLY HAVE to have our nails done? Nope....Not when you are a stay at home mom, you can do your OWN nails!!!!! I've even learned to cut hair! Bought a fancy pair of hair shears and I cut my whole families hair!!! Even my dad comes over to get his hair cut! With the internet WWW being at our fingertips, you can find lots of ways to cut back and save save save!!!! After all, you will need to get some fabric and instant coffee to get you started with your crafting!!! :) The ONE thing that I say DO NOT cut back on, if you are planning to work at home and sell on the internet.....is your ISP provider!!!! IF you can get Cable, DSL or whatever kind of highspeed internet, then DO IT! Dial up will drive you NUTTY as a fruitcake!!!!!! LOL....So I would definitely recommend that you spend the extra for highspeed internet if you plan on making your business online!

Another thing that you don't have to do is fill your working wardrobe with a lot of expensive clothes!! You will be working at home....grab an old t-shirt of hubby's and some sweats or boxers! There you go....Your working wardrobe is fitting! ;)........You'll have to have that one nice outfit to go to the grocery store, or go to get the kids from school....Either way, you are saving a TON on fancy clothes! :)

Get the kids involved with your crafting work!!!! Give them some stuffing to do! We can always use an extra set of hands to stuff those primitive crafts with :)....And the kids feel like they are helping you out, too! What better way to earn that allowance!?!?! Set aside certain times of the day that are just for your crafting!! Other times just for the dreaded housework! You can always do the laundry in between projects...not hard to keep up with :)........(Wow, I can't believe that I just made that sound EASY!!!!!) LOL.....It's NOT easy....you will come to realize that your Work @ home job of being a mommy, crafter, ebay seller, etc., is going to be the hardest job you can have in the world!! When I used to work outside the home, I punched a timeclock just like the rest of the working moms...I went to work for 8 hours a day....then home! When your job is at home, it tends to take over! So it is very important that you set guidelines for yourself.....Pace yourself and make a schedule to go by...if not, you will be like ME at times and be up after midnight cutting out things to sew the next morning!! Then wondering why you are tired and cranky the next morning when you have to get out of bed to get those kids off to school at 6:00 am!! ;)....Of course if you do that, then you will have to schedule a nap in there so you aren't so cranky :)I will be posting more on this subject in the near future! So check back often! Remember, you DON'T have to keep up with the Jones'!!!! Always put family 1st....In the long run, that is all that matters!!!

Monday, November 13, 2006

For the last couple of weeks, I haven't been making many new things...sure, I've kept auctions going, etc., but no new patterns or brand new designs! BUT that is about to change!!!!! I have some new ideas and I am excited about them :)......But 1st, I have to get kids ready for school, and they are not in a hurry to go.....LOLOh, and more coffee will be nice, too! Nothing like that 1st cup of coffee to kick you in your butt and get you moving!!

Stay tuned till next time...........I plan on posting a few tutorials in the near future as well....

Sunday, November 05, 2006

It's been a few days since my last blog.....spending time with my family and taking a well needed break.....but I am back and ready to start working! Of course it helps that I don't have to punch a time clock ;)....I LOVE working at home and making my own hours....:)

I've had a TON of emails lately from people asking about copyright laws.....I've had some lady on eBay who copies all of my work, then calls it her own designs........I TOTALLY understand that we all get ideas from each other...tips, tricks, etc., but to outright COPY ANYONES work, whether it be their art work or whatever is STEALING!!!!! And I can NOT STAND a THIEF! It really makes me mad to see someone like this "lady" (Term used for lack of a better word to describe this hateful person), copies not ONE, but ALL of my original work, then denies it! Says she never looked at my things....Yeah, right!! LOL! Not only does she steal, but she also lies! What a winner!!!!! :) I had no choice but to turn her in to VERO through eBay and have her auctions removed.ANYWAY............................I thought I would list a few FAQ's about copyright laws and how they have changed since the Internet came along :)

Q.When is my work protected?A.Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. (This law was changed because of all of the people on the WWW who can simply copy and paste and steal your artwork!)

Q.What is protected by copyright law?A.Your artwork is your intellectual property, and it is protected by copyright law.Your art (graphics, photos, music, art, sculptures, toys, dolls, paintings, etc.) becomes protected by copyright when you take it from an idea or concept and make it into something fixed and tangible. The basic requirements that a work of art must meet to qualify for copyright protection are:It must be original. The artwork must be original, not copied from anything else.

It must be creative. The artwork must show at least a minimum amount of creativity.

It must be fixed in a tangible medium. The artwork must be fixed in one of these tangible mediums—in its digital state as 1s and 0s; paintings and drawings; original music; your original artworks scanned into your computer; artwork you have created using bit-mapped or vector drawing, painting, or photo-manipulation programs or any combination of these digital media; buttons and graphics, cartoons, illustrations, and original writing that you have created for your Web site and that reside on your Web site.

The list is extensive, though not complete. If you can see or touch your artwork, with or without the aid of a machine or device, no matter what its medium, it qualifies as being fixed in a tangible medium of expression. And you own it and the copyrights to it.

I'll be adding more on this subject in the future......It is time for bed here in Tennessee, so I have to sign out :).....................Until next time...............be safe!!!

Who IS Tennessee Ridge Primitives???!?!?!

I was born in 1967...you can do the math and figure out my age :) I am loving my life....I want so much more out of life...I already have the best family EVER, but I know there is more out there for me...I want to travel!!! :D